By Sr Noelene Quinane RSJ

This article was published in the Catholic Voice.

Twelve months on from canonisation, our Australian people are still coming to terms with what it means to have a canonised Australian saint!

The canonisation not only gave cause for joyful celebrations last October, it has led to an increased interest in deeply significant questions: what is our Catholic faith about? Where does religious life fit in the context of Australian life today? Who was this woman, Mary MacKillop? And what meaning does she have for my life?

There has been a much deeper search for accurate information and the real story regarding Mary of the Cross MacKillop. By virtue of the fact that she and Fr Julian Tenison Woods were co-founders of the Congregation of Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, there has been a new awareness and an increased interest in the life of Fr Woods and his considerable contribution to the Australian Church and society.

It is my belief that there is a genuine desire to understand the legacy left to us by Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. I further believe that she is having a powerful influence, already, on the development and growth of our Australian spirituality.

Her life and legacy touches the lives of many people, not only in Australia and New Zealand but across the world, especially in places like East Timor, Peru, Scotland and Ireland.

What is that legacy? Initially she worked in response to the misery and wretchedness of bush children and the afflicted poor. Translated into today’s context it is standing with and working to uphold the dignity of the poor and marginalised across every sector of our society.  

Today, for instance, Sisters – and associates – live and work with indigenous communities, work on behalf of refugees, and advocate for change in structures at government and community levels.

Today, Josephite Sisters remain a vital presence in rural communities, providing support, encouragement and pastoral care.  With a decline in the number of priests many Sisters provide the only regular face of the Church and enable the coming together of the Christian community as well as providing support in times of death and loss.

Through her canonisation, Mary of the Cross MacKillop has been set free for the world – a world which is in great need of the example such a woman gives; a woman who despite poor health and obstacles, responded so generously to her God and to the people she served.

Mary was known to have said, “Remember we are but travellers here”. Further, that “There where you are you will find God”.

As our first canonised Australian Saint may she intercede for all of us who continue our pilgrimage journey, striving to be faithful to our God and seeking to find God in the challenges and blessings of our lives.